1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for cutting a polymeric belt sleeve to define an endless power transmission belt construction and to a method of making such an apparatus.
2. Prior Art Statement
It is known in the art to provide an apparatus for cutting a non-contoured and cured polymeric belt sleeve to define an endless power transmission belt construction having at least one pair of opposed non-parallel side portions and wherein the apparatus comprises a mandrel for supporting the belt sleeve for rotation about a longitudinal axis, means for rotating the mandrel and belt sleeve about the longitudinal axis, a rotatable cutting instrument having at least one pair of substantially identical symmetrically arranged and outwardly diverging integral cutting means for cutting a pair of side portions, means for rotating the cutting instrument, and means for moving the cutting instrument toward and away from the sleeve with the moving means being adapted to urge the cutting instrument during rotation thereof against a rotating belt sleeve to define a belt construction; and, such an apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,891,405 wherein the cutting instrument is in the form of a specially contoured grinding wheel.
It is also believed known to provide a molded and cured belt sleeve having individual belt projections of a generally trapezoidal cross-sectional configuration extending outwardly therefrom and then cutting the converging side edges of each projection with a milling apparatus to final contour those side edges, a plurality of such projections being so simultaneously milled by the milling apparatus. Thereafter, the free ends of the belt projections are milled to provide the final configuration thereof between their respective converging side walls.
It is also known in the art to cut individual belts from a rotating belt sleeve using a cutter which may be either a pizza-type rotary cutter or a simple straight knife cutter each of which provides a slitting action.
It is also known to cut flat sheets of polymeric material, such as sheets of uncured rubber, for example, using a pizza-type rotary cutter of the character mentioned, in what amounts to a slitting operation, to provide strips from each flat polymeric sheet which may be used in making an endless power transmission belt construction.
Finally, it is known in the art to provide a rotatable cutting instrument which has a metal cutting tool disposed in radially spaced relation from its axis of rotation and such a tool has been proposed for cutting hard, comparatively rigid yet non-yielding materials, such as, wood, for example.